Valdosta, GA -- After Valdosta State’s most successful season since 2008, the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association took notice, naming Head Coach Kiley Hill the South Region’s Coach of the Year and tagging Brittany Ferguson with an All-America Honorable Mention.

Being named region Coach of the Year puts Hill in the running for the Russell Athletics/WBCA Division II National Coach of the Year, to be announced Monday, April 2, during the second annual WBCA Awards Show.

“The WBCA congratulates these coaches on being named finalists for this year’s Division II Coach of the Year award,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “Each coach was selected by their peers and is deserving of this honor for their terrific seasons. On behalf of the WBCA and its members, I wish all eight of these finalists the best of luck at the WBCA Awards Show in Denver.”

“Russell Athletic believes in the ‘Power of Team’ and no team can be successful without a powerful leader,” said Russell Athletic Executive Vice President Gary Barfield. “Russell Athletic is pleased to honor the coaches nominated for National Coach of the Year and applaud their successes.”

After earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament as a sixth seed, Hill’s squad pushed all the way to the Sweet Sixteen. Knocking off the third and second seeds en route to the Sweet Sixteen, top seed Rollins proved to be too much for VSU. Hill’s team ended his 12th season as head coach with a 22-8 record.

Hill was one of eight coaches across the nation to earn the regional honor. His competition for the WBCA’s National Coach of the Year include Meghan Burke Brown of Southern Connecticut State, Stan Swank of Edinboro, Clayton State’s Dennis Cox, Ashland’s Sue Ramsey, Lane Lord of Pittsburg State, Chris Kielsmeier of Wayne State and UC-San Diego’s Charity Elliott.

Meanwhile, Ferguson was one of just three players from the Gulf South Conference and just five players from the south region to earn national recognition from the WBCA. Ferguson was named to the WBCA Division II Coaches’ All-America Team Honorable Mentions.

Ferguson put together a stellar season that saw her named to the All-Region First Team, All-Gulf South Conference First Team and the All-South Region Tournament Team. She was named the GSC Player of the Week a conference-high five times this season. She averaged 16.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this season.

Her conference counterparts include Delta State’s Veronica Walker and Alabama-Huntsville’s Jasmine Hammon. Walker was named to the All-America team while Hammon was also an honorable mention. Regional peers include Briauna Hagins of Florida Tech and Ashley Jones of Rollins, both honorable mentions.

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